WO 03/096356 A2 describes a reflective X-ray microscope and inspection system for examining objects using wavelengths of no more than 100 nm. WO 03/075068 A1 describes an illumination system comprising a nested collector for annular illumination of an exit pupil. An illumination optics for a metrology system for examining an object arranged in an object field using EUV illumination light is described in the scientific article “Aerial Image Microscopes for the Review of Defects in EUVL Masks” by A. Barty et al., ISMT EUVL Symposium, Dallas, Tex., October 2002.